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High five: New cargo carriers will come through Anchorage, building the freight economy

Suzanne Downing
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6
High five: New cargo carriers will come through Anchorage, building the freight economy

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport has announced that five new cargo carriers will be coming through the airport, which has seen a nearly 5% year-over-year increase in cargo activity from 2023 to 2024.

“We are excited to welcome five new cargo carriers to Anchorage International Airport, a significant milestone in our strategic plan to continue expanding cargo operations. These new carriers represent a crucial part of our long-term vision to support ANC as a global cargo hub,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy. “As we invest in building state-of-the-art cargo infrastructure, from additional warehousing to improved ramp space, these new operators will benefit from our ongoing commitment to supporting the needs of modern air freight.”

The airport is anticipating additional 2% growth in cargo for fiscal year 2025, with a total landed weight of 149.5 million pounds, the highest in airport history.

“Anchorage has always been a key player in the world of air cargo, and the arrival of these new carriers underscores our importance in global logistics. They join a group of loyal and long-term cargo operators who have been with us for decades, reinforcing our reputation as a trusted partner in international trade,” said Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Commissioner Ryan Anderson. “We’re excited to continue expanding our operations and providing unmatched service to our growing network of cargo operators.”

New cargo carriers include:

Awesome Cargo Airlines commenced operations in July, with Airbus A330-200F freighters on the ICN-ANC-Mexico City route, with Anchorage serving as a critical transit point. This addition strengthens trade connections between Asia and North America, enhancing ANC’s significance in global logistics.

Central Airlines of China began service in September, operating Boeing 777 freighters on the SZX-ANC-ONT route, linking Shenzen, Anchorage, and Ontario, California. This service highlights ANC’s strategic role in connecting the Chinese market with North America.

ASL Air Cargo, a Belgian carrier, is now flying the TNA-ANC-JFK route several times a month with their 747-400F, facilitating cargo movement from Jinan to North America via Anchorage.

Aerologic Air Cargo has also initiated monthly operations, servicing routes from Guangzhou (CAN-ANC-CVG) and Hong Kong (HKG-ANC-CVG) using 777F freighters, effectively connecting these major Asian cities with Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

CMA CGM Air Cargo has begun operations with A330-200F aircraft on the HKG-ANC-DFW and HKG-ANC-ORD routes, supporting another significant operator based at ANC.

As one of the busiest cargo airports worldwide, Anchorage International is a hub between Asia, Europe, and North America.

Mexico-based air cargo company gets OK to come to Anchorage International Airport

Alaska’s early voting numbers continue to surge, and several locations offer voting on Sunday

Suzanne Downing
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9
Alaska’s early voting numbers continue to surge, and several locations offer voting on Sunday

The Division of Elections reports over 6,000 Alaskans voted on Thursday, the fourth day of early voting, for a total of over 26,200 early voters between Monday and Thursday. Voters reported standing in line for more than an hour in Anchorage.

Also, 20,596 absentee ballots have been mailed back and received by the Division through Oct. 25.

Combined early and absentee votes are nearly 47,000 as of Thursday.

Alaska’s Republican-registered voters are still crushing it, making up nearly 37% of all early in-person voters so far, while Democrat-registered voters are at 14%.

In the absentee ballots returned and received, Republicans have outperformed as well at 30%; Democrats are at 23% of all ballots returned. Over 10% of Alaska voters have requested an absentee ballot.

Alaska has just 75,066 registered Democrats and 146,000 registered Republicans. The rest of the voters are either with minor parties or, more commonly, not with any party. With Democrats representing 12% of the voter roll, they are doing well with their absentee ballot returns. Republicans represent 24% of the overall voter roll, so are slightly outperforming their numbers.

Can you vote on Sunday?

Although many smaller early voting locations are closed on Sunday, regional offices are open Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 from noon – 4 p.m.:

Anchorage, 2525 Gambell St.

Fairbanks, 675 7th Avenue, Suite A2.

Juneau, 9109 Mendenhall Mall Rd Ste 3.

Kenai on Sunday, 11312 Kenai Spur Rd. Ste. 48.

Nome, 214 Front Street, Suite 130.

Wasilla, 1700 E Bogard Rd Ste B102.

By the numbers: Conservatives come out to vote in Alaska in record-setting early voting

Cigarette lighter believed to be cause of deadly fire in holding cell in Mountain Village

Suzanne Downing
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9
Cigarette lighter believed to be cause of deadly fire in holding cell in Mountain Village

A holding cell that had two men detained in it caught on fire in Mountain Village on Friday. One man is dead. The fire caused significant damage to two-thirds of the building, which serves as the main public safety building for the lower Yukon River village of 800 residents.

Village police officers were holding the men for mental health or social service reasons in what is called a Title 47 hold — something that is done if they pose a danger to themselves or others.

Dead is Lawrence Chiklak, age 39. The other man managed to be evacuated safely. The village police officer received treatment at a Bethel hospital for minor injuries.

Chiklak was a troubled soul who had a long rap sheet with the court system for violent crimes such as assault, threats, and disorderly conduct.

The investigation is active and ongoing, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Beta male voters browbeaten by Peltola

Suzanne Downing
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35
Beta male voters browbeaten by Peltola

Rep. Mary Peltola has some relationship advice for the beta white males of the state — the same beta males who are being encouraged to vote for Kamala Harris for president: “Don’t put your relationships on the line this November. Exercise your right to vote, and make your voice heard. It’s on us to shape the future, so let’s do it,” Peltola says in her latest plea.

In other words, vote the way your honey wants you to vote or she is going to kick you out of the apartment.

It’s a form of psychological manipulation for the simp vote: A woman is pictured breaking up with a subordinate man simply because he didn’t vote. It’s the same young male target market that is the focus of the Harris campaign’s “White Men for Harris” program.

Peltola is all hat, no cattle in congressional Western Caucus, where she’s been a no-show
Fritz Pettyjohn: Which Alaska voters will cast a ballot for Trump and then also vote for Peltola?
Which Fairbanks House candidate says white men need to sit down and shut up?
By the numbers: Conservatives come out to vote in Alaska in record-setting early voting
Tom Boutin: Peltola’s food stamps and fentanyl economy just isn’t cutting it

By the numbers: Conservatives come out to vote in Alaska in record-setting early voting

Suzanne Downing
-
12
By the numbers: Conservatives come out to vote in Alaska in record-setting early voting

Early voting appears to be leaning Republican in Alaska. The conservatives will need to continue to vote early to maintain the advantage that they now have. This year, conservatives are “swamping the vote” to their ballots in early, rather than waiting for Election Day, Nov. 5.

On Friday, people waited for an hour to vote at the Gambell Street Division of Elections. On Saturday, it was an hour and 15 minutes.

Through Wednesday, there were 19,877 early votes, including:

  • 7,449 Republican, 37.5%
  • 5,499 Undeclared, 27.5%
  • 3,589 Nonpartisan, 17.9%
  • 2,859 Democrat, 14.3%
  • 430 Alaskan Independence Party
  • 94 Libertarian
  • Other

There have been more absentee ballots applied for than in any election except the Covid year of 2020, when Democrats essentially had the election canceled.

Today is the last day to get your application in for an absentee ballot. Click here to find out how to have a ballot mailed to you. The Fifth Circuit ruled Friday that all ballots must be in by Election Day, Nov. 5.

In 2016, there were 39,000 early votes cast. In 2020. there were 53,000 early votes, which was a record. In 2024 it’s already exceeded 20,000 in just three days.

Alaskans ‘swamp the vote’ with early voting
Election roundup: Voted ballots burned in Arizona, court rules illegals allowed to vote in Virginia

Payback time: Murkowski cuts an ad for ranked-choice voting, which was designed for her

Suzanne Downing
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52
Payback time: Murkowski cuts an ad for ranked-choice voting, which was designed for her

The latest ads paid for by $12.7 million in dark-money opposing Ballot Measure 2 star the very person the entire ranked-choice voting scheme was designed to re-elect: Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Murkowski is asking voters to vote “no” on Ballot Measure 2, and keep the new system of voting, which voters barely approved in 2020.

The Alaska Republican Party says to vote “yes” and repeal the scheming system. Former Lt. Governors Craig Campbell and Loren Leman have said to vote “yes” in columns at Must Read Alaska.

Loren Leman: Ads opposing Ballot Measure 2 are deceptive and lie about our military voters
Craig Campbell: Ranked-choice was a card-up-the-sleeve trick on Alaskans. It’s time to end it

Murkowski had been censured by the Alaska Republican Party for her behavior in the past, particularly her impeachment vote to convict President Donald Trump — after he left office. Without Republican support, her liberal followers, led by attorney Scott Kendall, put together a scheme whereby she would not have to run in a Republican primary, which she would not be able to win. With dark money from Outside the state, they painted a rosy picture for voters and concealed their main intent — turning Alaska blue.

Voters approved of the scheme, which combines no-party primaries and ranked-choice general elections.

Then, in 2022, the Alaska Democratic Party put up a place-holder candidate who was running in order to placate the national Democratic Party. Local Republicans advanced conservative Kelly Tshibaka, who was endorsed by not only by the party but President Donald Trump.

Using the new system, Murkowski easily won reelection in 2022, with the help of Alaskans who vote Democrat. In fact, Murkowski, due to ranked choice voting, ended up with the highest percentage of votes she has ever gotten, due to Democrat voters marking her either first or second on their ballot. Murkowski won 48.6% of the vote in 2004, 39.5% in 2010, 44.4% in 2016 and — due to the ranked choice advantage she and her supporters designed for her — 53.7% in 2022.

Now, with many Alaskans disillusioned with the false promises made by backers of ranked choice voting, the “No on 2” group brought in Murkowski, who is paying back the favor to the same people who helped her retain her seat in the Senate.

This month, Murkowski also endorsed Democrat Mary Peltola for Congress, the second time she has endorsed Peltola. Murkowski is once again on the outs with her own party, she continues to align more closely with the Alaska Democratic Party, which fully embraces ranked choice voting, after seeing how it worked for Murkowski and Peltola.

In the end, Murkowski became beholden to the Democrats because they helped her defeat Republican voters.

The $12.8 million in Outside money being spent to keep ranked-choice voting in Alaska is motivated by liberal entities who are in the process of spreading the system to other states. They’ve spent tens of millions of dollars and would be set back if Alaskans take back their elections from the outsiders like John Arnold of Texas, and the dark money entities that have taken over Alaska elections. Most of the funds they are expending this year are in Alaska — to save what they created as the model for other states.

Seeing the danger of dark money, five states this year banned the use of ranked-choice voting. They are Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.

On Nov. 5, Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada will vote on whether to adopt ranked-choice voting. Oregon and Washington, D.C. will also vote on adopting RCV in both party primaries and the general election.

Missouri will vote on a ballot measure to ban ranked-choice voting.

Over $12 million is being spent so Democrats can keep ranked-choice voting in Alaska. Will it work?
Ranked-choice repeal is nail biter, but ‘No on 2’ has $12.2 million to hammer the airwaves with ads

Peltola is all hat, no cattle in congressional Western Caucus, where she’s been a no-show

Suzanne Downing
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9
Peltola is all hat, no cattle in congressional Western Caucus, where she’s been a no-show

Rep. Mary Peltola paid her dues so she could claim membership in the Western Caucus, a congressional conservative group that works on issues impacting the West, especially land management and federal overreach.

But, just as she’s missed 40% of her votes in Congress this summer, Peltola has been a no-show for her Western colleagues.

No show summer: Rep. Mary Peltola has missed 40% of congressional votes since June

Rep. Pete Stauber, the congressman from Minnesota who tried to help Alaska by sponsoring the Alaska’s Right to Produce Act, blasted Peltola this week in a statement:

“As a Vice Chairman of the Western Caucus, I have been proud to stand with my Republican colleagues in our fight for rural America. While Rep. Peltola has not been active in her membership in the Western Caucus, she also failed to support critical policies that will unleash American energy and mineral dominance,” Stauber said.

“For example, she was the only Western Caucus member to vote against the Lower Energy Costs Act, landmark legislation endorsed by the caucus that would have cut red tape, empowered American workers to responsibly produce our God-given natural resources, and would lower energy costs not only for Alaskans, but for all Americans,” he said.

When Peltola does vote on legislation, she’s been a disloyal member of the Western Caucus. When Stauber offered the Alaska’s Right to Produce Act to unwind the Biden sanctions on Alaska, Peltola signed on as a co-sponsor, but then she snuck notes to her Democrat colleagues to vote against the bill, and she voted only that she was “present.”

“Rep. Peltola has not stood up to support other important pieces of legislation that advance many of the Western Caucus’ priorities for rural America, including House-passed appropriations bills that would fund the Department of the Interior, all while blocking the Biden-Harris Administration’s harmful policies that are hurting Alaskans,” said Rep. Stauber, making it clear he is no fan of Peltola, who is running for reelection.

Congressman Don Young was a longstanding and active member of the caucus, and served as its vice chairrman for Indian Affairs and Oceans. The caucus is dedicated to working on issues such as forestry, land management, agriculture, energy, mining, endangered species, and water.

Nick Begich, the grandson of Congressman Nick Begich, is running for the seat to represent Alaska, which only has one “at-large” member of Congress.

Election roundup: Voted ballots burned in Arizona, court rules illegals allowed to vote in Virginia

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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8
Election roundup: Voted ballots burned in Arizona, court rules illegals allowed to vote in Virginia

As early voting is under way across the country, issues are popping up in several states. Here are some snapshots from various news sources around the country on Friday:

Arizona: In Maricopa County, home of Phoenix, about 20 ballots were burned when someone set fire to a mailbox.

Pennsylvania: In Lancaster County, election workers flagged 2,500 voter registrations dropped off Monday in Lancaster County for suspected fraud. Many of them had the same handwriting.

Virginia: A federal judge is ordering Virginia to return the names of more than 1,500 “noncitizens” to voter rolls following a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice saying the commonwealth violated the National Voter Registration Act.

The Justice Department said the commonwealth unlawfully removed individuals deemed “noncitizens” from voter rolls within 90 days before an election, citing a “quiet period” in the National Voter Registration Act that mandates “no such voter cancelation or list maintenance programs may be conducted” within that time period.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is blasting the ruling, calling the move a “politically motivated stunt.”

Mississippi: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a Mississippi law that allows ballots that are postmarked Nov. 5 to be counted if they arrive up to days later.

The ruling covers Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, but the issue has been remanded to a lower court for further deliberation and will likely get appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Georgia: Nearly 2.5 million ballots have been received in early voting. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said early voting this year is “shattering turnout records.” Thus far, 35% of all the state’s registered voters have cast their ballots.

Maine: Nearly 165,000 voters have already returned their ballots. Maine has 948,734 registered voters; thus one out of four have cast a ballot already, either by mail, in drop-boxes, or through in-person voting. Maine has ranked-choice voting.

California: More than two million California voters have already voted early, according to Political Data Inc. That is about 11% of California voters have returned their ballots.

Tim Barto: Owning a Biblical worldview

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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9
Tim Barto: Owning a Biblical worldview

By TIM BARTO

We all have a lens through which we see the world; this is known as our worldview.

There is something remarkable going on in the United States: The trending worldview is non-Christian, even among Christians.  

The Family Research Council’s Center for Biblical Worldview studies this topic in depth, and Senior Research Fellow George Barna conducted a major survey that looked at how Americans see the world. The results are quite fascinating, if not alarming.

Take a look at these basic findings:  

  • 51% of American adults think they have a Biblical worldview, when – according to their answers to the survey – only 6% actually do. 
  • Only 31% feel it’s very important for their religious faith to influence every aspect of their lives. 
  • Of those who consider themselves Christians, only 68% think they have a Biblical worldview, but only 9% provided answers that indicated they actually have a Biblical worldview. 

So, the concern for American society is not just that society in general is non-Biblically based, but that even a majority of self-identified Christians do not see the world through the book on which their faith is based.

This probably comes as no surprise to those who witness our society crumbling on an almost daily basis. The line separating boys from girls, and men from women, is being blurred, dissipated, and mocked. Public school administrators and board members defend stocking library shelves with sexually explicit books. Parental rights are superseded by enlightened government officials.  The number of sex partners one has is laughed away as a person’s “body count.”

And, of course, claiming a pre-born baby is worthy of respect and life is labeled “fascist” and part of the patriarchy that needs to be smashed. 

The list goes on and reveals the fact that religion is decreasingly important in our country. As moral relativism increases, religious practice decreases. According to the American Survey Center, Gen Z is the least religious group of people in our country’s history, a strong indication that worldviews will continue to be more likely influenced by pop culture, Hollywood, and public educators. Gen Z is less influenced by church attendance and religious-based teaching. 

According to David Closson, Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview, there is hope in these survey findings. For those who see themselves as having faith but whose worldviews are skewed by secular philosophies, Closson sees an opportunity to open their eyes to what the world actually looks like when viewed through the lens of the Good Book.

Closson and his colleague, Joseph Backholm, Senior Fellow with Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement, are so committed to teaching people –- including pastors and church leaders –- about Biblical worldview, that they are traveling the country doing so. They will be in Alaska next week; in Sterling on Oct. 29, Chugiak on Oct. 30, and Palmer on Oct. 31. If you’re interested in attending one of their presentations, visit Alaska Family Council. 

Tim Barto is a regular contributor to Must Read Alaska, and vice president of Alaska Family Council.

Tim Barto: Leftist intolerance on repeat, this time attacking supporters of Ballot Measure 2

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